Picnics in the Park shows us the greatest fall craft ever: waxed fall leaves for garlands and table runners. LOVE.

Get a super-exclusive glimpse inside the oft-fabled pyramid shaped apartment atop Seattle’s Smith Tower, complete with a glass globe observation area, at the New York Times.

Jonathan Adler shares his favorite Benjamin Moore paint combinations at Apartment Therapy.

Craft is causing some serious cravings with a how-to for a pumpkin spice white hot chocolate. Drool…..

Eddie Ross manages to create a Halloween tablescape that is both spooky and chic. “Spooky Chic”…. think we just coined a new phrase!

Electrolux makes some beautiful design out of trash: vacuum cleaners made of ocean plastic, over at Treehugger.

Another new online design magazine has hit the web — Covet Garden. And we like what we see so far. Via Style Files.

If you are anything like us, this weekend you’ll be suiting up in your best costume and partying down monster style. We Heart This has a great Halloween Party playlist for your ghoulish gatherings. No “Monster Mash” in sight, but plenty of the Misfits. We approve!

CasaSugar tests out the Green Toad Pivoting paintbrush, designed to change its angle to work into tight corners, saving your wrist. Awesome!

Have I told you how beyond excited I am to be enjoying our first Halloween in the suburbs? I’ve already showed off a successful wreath project, but now I must report a dilemma I need your help with! We carved a pumpkin on Sunday night, with our spooky house number engraved into it. Created some breathing holes for air in the back. Spritzed it with a hot-pepper solution to keep the squirrels more or less at bay. And now look it! It’s growing black fuzzy mold. Talk about scary! Luckily we still have a few pumpkins inside that we haven’t carved yet. How do we make sure they don’t meet the same fate by Sunday? What did we do wrong? What’s the point of carving pumpkins if you can’t put them on the porch to show off? Seasoned Halloween vets, please share your wisdom! — Angela M.

“Urban woodsman meets Waterworld” — is that what you look for in your decor? That’s how Dwell describes the Bender stool by Paul Evermann. With a laser-cut steel seat, the stool is assembled without tools. Perhaps you noticed that. Roger Allen calls it “an attractive DIY look.” I think he’s half right. — Mary T.

Kids these days. When I was their age, I had to walk barefoot through the snow (uphill, both ways!) to school, naturally, but when I got there, the rule was that we could share any food as long as we brought enough for the whole class. In our modern world, this hasn’t been the case for a while. Serious food allergies have become prevalent and with them, a change in the rules about what is acceptable for class parties. With its focus on food, Halloween is a prime time to enforce such rules. Foods made with peanuts have long been on many lists of restricted items, but coworkers have also mentioned that chocolate and even candy in general are banned in the schools their children attend. With all health issues it’s better to be safe than sorry but it means we have to get creative. So sound off! What are the rules in your district, and what party snacks do you send your kids in with? — Sarah C.

Soft animals? Oceans of pink? I say, it’s time our baby rooms came with more of an edge! DwellStudio comes to the rescue with a whole line of baby accessories in the Skyline print. Just a touch urban for the baby-about-town. I must not be the only one who likes it — the crib set is on back order at DesignPublic. — Mary T.

Through my usual hours of internet time wasting, I ran across this beautiful Grecian vacation home over at Yatzer and immediately fell in love. The house, dating back to the 1890s on the Dodecanese island of Nisyros, recently underwent a restoration by designer/architect George Koukorakis. A perfect blend of antique and modern, this mediterranean-style house has plenty of drool-inducing features, like the original 1890s cement tile and the sleeping loft in the kitchen, adjacent to the wood burning oven. Lots of bright colors like kelly green and warm yellow lighten up the dark wood finishes and antique furniture, and pair nicely with Saarinen tulip tables and bright red Smeg refrigerators while enhancing the original design features of the home. See even more gorgeous photos of the house here. In the meantime, I’ll start saving my drachmas and daydreaming of the day I can visit. –Megan B.

What to do when you find yourself with a 40 lb bag of free, less-than pretty-but-so-delicious apples? Apple party!!! Okay, maybe there were just two attendees, but a few nights ago, my friend Kletia and I made a pretty good dent in my apple bounty armed with little more than a few sheets of frozen puff pastry dough. Seriously — we ended up with not only a simple apple tart, but also some crazy-delicious apple cinnamon cream cheese rolls AND apple cheese danish (not pictured) in no time flat. Fun to both make and eat, these are perfect for last minute entertaining or playing in the kitchen with your kids. I hope these easy apple desserts — or breakfasts, for that matter — may just become go-to classics in your home too! –Megan B. Click for an Apple Pastry Bonanza!

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I love feeling fancy. I doesn’t happen often, which central to its allure, but it’s a welcome soul vacation in my otherwise happily down-to-earth lifestyle. And little luxuries like these Kate Spade coasters bring on that feeling. The bright circles and shiny gold polka-dots would pop right along with the champagne at your next soiree. At $20 for six, they’re far from a necessary expense, but that’s exactly why they might be the perfect gift for the next hostess who enjoys a bit of sparkle. Unnecessary? Yes. Fancy fun? Absolutely. — Sarah C.

Here’s a nugget of good news for those midweek mumbles: Pine Cone Hill, long known for its vibrant bedding, sleepwear and home accents, has taken its outlet offerings to the web. The recently-launched pineconehilloutlet.com features the brand’s collection of outlet merchandise at bargain prices. What’s more? They’re sweetening the deal for Shelterrific readers! For the next two weeks, shop the collection and receive an additional 20% off any purchase by using promo code SHTR20 at checkout. Happy shopping!

While cotton ball cobwebs may be fine for some, if you fancy eerie realism in your Halloween décor, look no further than these Spider Web Circles by Emil “Rocky” Fiore. A web-catcher extraordinaire, Fiore has made an art form (and a business) of preserving real spider webs on glass. Available in 3”, 5”, 7” and 10” diameters, each glass circle contains an intricate web with a label noting the genus and species of its spider author on the back. A spooky extra for Halloween, these one-of-a-kind items double as intriguing pieces of art for everyday. For more on Fiore and his technique see part 1 and part 2 of the “To Catch a Web” miniseries on him at Coolhunting. – Sarah C.